


Origin Story

by Orangefroot



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Dadza, Family Fluff, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phil Collecting Children, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Technoblade-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, child!Wilbur Soot, no beta we die like men, shapeshifter!Technoblade, toddler!Technoblade
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:40:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28639410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orangefroot/pseuds/Orangefroot
Summary: 3-year old Technoblade doesn't know why the Piglin King banished him to the Overworld. He doesn't know how to get home. But maybe the man in the striped hat and the boy in the yellow sweater can help him.
Comments: 40
Kudos: 300





	1. Chapter One: The Child

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! this is my first attempt at writing fanfiction but I got caught up in the idea that Techno was born in the Nether but banished to the Overworld by Piglin society as a toddler, and it went from there! this isn't tied into SMP lore or anything, just a story I wanted to write, hopefully it goes well because I have a bunch written already lol

“This child…” the king leered, tusks glinting in the firelight, as he looked down at the baby swaddled before him. The child was newly born, barely an hour old, face pink and puckered. It lay in the arms of its mother, a young Piglin woman, who was trembling with exhaustion and fear.  
“Y-yes, my king?” the woman stammered, glancing up at the Brute’s face and then looking to the floor. She watched in terror as the king’s guards slowly moved in around her, drawing the child closer to her chest.  
“Mmm.” He turned and stalked away towards the door, golden armor glittering, and the guards followed. “Take her and the child to a holding cell.” With that, the Brute king swept away, hooves clicking on the stone floor, guards marching behind. Another pair of guards entered the room, this time with golden axes aloft.  
“You. Come with us.” The young Piglin backed away, shaking in terror, clutching her baby.  
“Please, he’s a Piglin, nothing is wrong, I don’t understand, please!”  
Her cries fell on deaf ears as she and the child were dragged away, deep into the dark of the bastion.

Three years had passed since Technoblade and his mother had been locked in the cells under the Brute King’s bastion. Three years of dark, cold blackstone walls, the clattering of hooves and armor, the snorting and roaring of the guards. Technoblade was his name, his mother told him. Never forget your name. It had become apparent to everyone in the bastion by now that Technoblade wasn’t a full-blooded Piglin as his mother had claimed. He didn’t have the small, curved tusks that little Piglins get, although his mother promised him he would get his tusks in time. His eyes were larger and rounder, a deep brown rather than the pale gray and white eyes of his mother or the guards. His snout, while strong, sensitive, and well-developed, was rounder and slightly smaller than it ought to be. The guards in the dungeons would laugh at him, call him a freak. They would swipe at him through the bars, twist his ears and knock him down. His mother would snarl back at the guards and sweep Technoblade behind herself, and after they had backed off she would take him and sit him on her lap and tell him stories about the Piglins, and the lands outside of the bastion’s blackstone walls. How there were great red and green forests, filled with trees and vines and glowing mushrooms. She would describe towers of basalt and oceans of lava, and funny creatures called striders that would let you ride on their backs over the molten stone if you had a special mushroom. How the Piglins were the strongest warriors in the whole Nether, and how they mined for gold and netherite, and were traders with travelers and adventurers. Techno would listen in awe as she told of the horrible blackened creatures called the wither skeletons, who would hide in their dark castles and strike with a darkness and poison you if you weren’t careful, and how the Piglins fought them off. And Technoblade would listen, listen and imagine the glow of the lava, and the glint of the gold ore, and the haze of the basalt deltas.  
“Can I see?” he had asked once, bouncing up and down in his mother’s lap as she described the striders bouncing across the lava. She had paused, and given him a small smile, her pale eyes glinting in the light from the single lantern hanging above.  
“Someday, Techno, you will see the world, and maybe even more.”


	2. The King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for the love on this!! it's given me a push to keep working on it and I'm excited to see how it goes!!

A few days later, Technoblade was shaken awake by his mother.   
“Quick! Technoblade, wake up.” She dragged him up as the guards slammed open the door to the cell and pushed him behind herself. “What is this? What is going on?” The guards, three of them, filed in, ignoring her questions. One pulled out a parchment, sealed with the golden crown-and-snout symbol of the king, unfurling it in front of her face.  
“You and your freak have been summoned to appear before his highness the king. Your fate is to be decided today.” The guards watched silently as her eyes frantically scanned the paper, before two of them grabbed her, one at each arm, and she thrashed, trying to break their grip.   
“Let me go! Please! Techno!” The third guard grabbed Technoblade by the arm, huge hand clamped tightly around the toddler’s small arm. Techno was confused; what was happening?  
“Let’s go. Get her moving, I’ve got the kid.” The guards led them up the steps out of the dungeon, Techno looking back for a moment at the cell. He had been working on a drawing of himself riding on a strider, scratching it into the wall with a bit of stone. Hopefully he could finish it later.

After what felt like forever, the stairs turned into a cavernous hall, carved from the same blackstone as the cells, but decorated richly with gold and violet-streaked obsidian. There in the hall was the most people Techno had ever seen in one place, Piglins and Brutes milling about. They all stopped as Techno and his mother were led by, whispering in low, snuffling tones about the strange-looking child and his mother, who had fallen silent, her pleas useless against the guards. Techno stared up at all of them. They all had tusks, some wore armor, some wore gold rings through noses or ears, and all of them watched as the strange toddler and his mother were led into the king’s chamber.  
The Brute King’s chamber was built of great blackstone and obsidian walls, streaked with gold and violet like the halls outside. Black banners with the golden snout seal hung from the walls, and there were piles of gold and chests of riches lining the room. Upon the great golden throne sat the Brute King, idly examining a netherite axe, with a guard at each side. The guard dragging Technoblade paused in the doorway.  
“The prisoners, my king. The woman and the boy.” The king looked up as Technoblade and his mother were marched in, pushed towards the throne. Technoblade looked up at the Brute in awe. He was enormous, great head topped with a golden crown, wearing a set of shimmering gold armor and a sweeping black cape. He looked just like the great warriors that his mother had talked about. The king stood, silently stepping forward to stand in front of Technoblade. The king looked him up and down before cracking an unpleasant smile and turning to his mother.  
“So,” he snorted, “a full-blooded Piglin, hmm? How’d that work out?” He stalked over to her, and she glanced up at him, bile rising in her throat at the expression on his face. His hand snapped out and he grabbed her by the chin, jerking her forwards. “What is he?” She shook her head, silent tears slipping from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. “What,” growled the Brute king, “IS he?” He tossed her to the ground like a ragdoll. One of the guards jostled her with the end of his poleaxe, and she shakily pushed herself back up. “He’s… he’s half human. His father… I don’t know what happened to him.” Her shoulders shook as the near-whispered words left her mouth. The king withdrew, looking at Technoblade in disgust. The guards shifted, and the one holding his arm grimaced.  
Techno didn’t know what was happening, but he was scared. The big man with the crown was hurting his mother, and suddenly everyone was glaring at him. Like the guards that used to wrench his ears if he got too close. He looked to his mother, but she was crying more now.  
“Mama?” He pulled against the guard’s grasp. He wanted his mother. He wanted to go back to their room and he wanted her to stop crying and he wanted to work on his drawing. The king heard his confused voice and seemed to come to a decision. He lifted his axe and Techno’s mother began to struggle again.  
“No! Please, he’s just a baby, please, don’t hurt him, take me, no, please, don’t hurt my boy, please!” The king ignored her, gesturing towards Techno with the netherite weapon.  
“This brat doesn’t belong here. A human father, you say? Then, he should go see him. In the Overworld.” Techno’s mother froze at the snarled words. “Take them to a portal. Send the brat through and then break it. He has no place here. The mother, we deal with after.”   
“NO!” Technoblade’s mother screamed, anguish obvious in her voice. “You can’t, please, he knows nothing, even of the Nether, he belongs here! He’ll die in the Overworld, please!” She wailed, fighting against the guards as they dragged her and Techno out of the Brute king’s chambers. The people from earlier were gone, and Techno cried out as the guard nearly wrenched his shoulder out of its socket. The guard smacked him with his free hand, a heavy gold ring opening a cut on his cheek as they went down the hall and wound through a maze of black corridors.   
Finally, they came to an exit, and Technoblade got his first look at the Nether. His short legs stumbled over the uneven reddish ground, his wide, frightened eyes blinking at the heat and haze in the air.   
Eventually, the guards came to a stop in front of a tall frame of reflective black rock. The one holding Techno grabbed what looked like two stones from his pocket, snapping them together in one large hand, throwing sparks into the jagged black frame. The frame shimmered to life, filling the space with swirls of purple light. Techno had never seen anything like it. It was so sparkly and pretty. He turned to look at his mother, excited, but the feeling died when he saw the look on her face. She looked so sad, but a different kind of sad than earlier.   
“Mama?”   
She looked up at the guards, who had been watching their fellow light the portal.  
“Can I say… can I speak to him? Please… I won’t do anything. I just want to… “ she trailed off. The guards looked at eachother. The biggest one scoffed.  
“One minute.” The other two let her go, and she collapsed, throwing her arms around the boy.  
Techno was so confused. What was this purple thing? Why did it make his mother sad? He leaned into the comfort of her hug, little hands reaching for her shoulders as she held him tight.  
“Technoblade, promise me something.” Her voice was so sad. It scared him.  
“Mama?”   
“My baby boy, promise me you’ll never forget your name. My big, brave Technoblade. Someday, you’ll be all grown up, you’ll be big and strong, and your tusks will grow in, and you will see the whole world. And maybe more. Oh, my boy. I love you, Techno. I love you.” She was about to say something more when Techno was torn away from her. Techno screamed, flailing in the guard’s grasp.  
“No! Please! Techno! TECHNOBLADE!”  
“MAMA!”  
His vision faded into purple spirals, and then to black.


	3. The Forest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!! thank you everyone for the continued support :,) y'all are too kind, thank you for reading so far!!

Techno woke up with a start next to a broken black frame. Where? Where was he? Where was his mother? This wasn’t the Nether, he was cold and damp and shaking, curled into a little ball in the dim light. Techno couldn’t see any lava, or netherrack, or blackstone. There was a cold wind blowing, and the ground was soft, covered in dark, springy little plants. Plants. Like the Nether forests. His mother had told him there were things called trees in the Nether forests, and as the world around him lightened, there were big tall things around him that looked like they might be trees as well. Techno didn’t want to be here. He wanted to go home. Maybe the frame would help.   
He pushed himself up, ears pricking at every unfamiliar sound as he slowly made his way around the broken frame, little hands running over the smooth, shiny rock. It wasn’t purple. How did the big guard make it purple? Techno tried to remember. Rocks. Two rocks together. The rocks made the frame purple. Techno wiped his snout on his sleeve. He was really cold, his nose was running. He had never been cold like this before. He got down on the ground and began to look for rocks, but the ground here was soft, no rocks in sight. Where could he get rocks? It was cold. He wanted to go home to his mother and be warm. Techno looked up at the black frame and then at the tree-things around him. Maybe there were rocks deeper in the tree-things. Techno lined himself up, picked a direction, and slowly picked his way deeper into the forest, trying to go in a straight line so he could return quickly when he found the rocks.   
As he made his way between the trees, he found his first rock: a few inches long, and pointed at one end. Techno decided it was a good rock. Having something to hold in his little hands was reassuring, and he could scratch the tree-things to mark his path. Techno was startled out of his search for another good rock by a small, lava-colored creature with a bushy tail, which squeaked and ran past him, diving into one of the little plant-things. The plant was green, and dotted with little round red things. Were they food? Techno watched as the orange creature nipped some of the red things off of the plant and ate them. They must be food, ‘cause the orange thing ate them. Techno made his way over to one of the plants and reached out to take one, scratching his small hand on a couple thorns as he pulled it from the plant-thing. Techno examined the two scratch marks on his hand. They weren’t big, but they hurt. He still ate the red thing though. It was sweet and juicy. Techno went back for more, wary of thorns, and emerged a little while later, hands and arms scratched but belly full.   
At that point, Techno was cold and tired. His arms were sore from scratches and pulling red things off plants, and his legs and hooves were sore from walking all over the place. Techno decided to go back to the big black frame. Maybe it had turned purple again, and he could go home. But which way was it? He had put down the rock he’d found to get red things, and now he couldn’t see it anywhere. Techno circled the area. The rock was gone. The light was beginning to fade, and the shadows were getting big under the tree-things. Frightened, Techno chose a direction at random and scuttled off, a pocket full of the tasty red things for later, searching for the frame in the growing darkness.  
It was well and truly dark as Techno went, running between the trees searching for the frame, desperate for the familiar shape. The forest had come alive, full of terrifying creatures Techno had never seen before: clattering skinny white figures and big green squishy things and scary things with too many legs that scuttled around. Techno finally ran into a hill, realizing the frame was nowhere to be found. He followed the edge of the hill as the surface turned from dirt to cold, bald stone. Eventually, Techno found an opening in the stone, a hole that yawned open like a great dark mouth. Maybe there was someone inside. Maybe they could help. Cautiously, he picked his way into the opening, following the tunnel that led inside. His hooves echoed against the stone, a strange, hollow sound. He didn’t go too far in though, the darkness was scary and big and he couldn’t see. But there were no monsters in the part near the opening, so Techno went back there and sat down, curling his arms and legs up in an attempt to warm up. He wanted to go home and see his mother. His eyes filled with tears. Mama. He would wait, he decided, until the dark went away. It had when he was at the frame. Surely it would go away again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Techno!! don't worry, it'll get more interesting soon!!


	4. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again!! i am so sorry for the delay on the update, i had a lot more to do this weekend than i thought i did!! Hope you enjoy!!  
> also: thank you all so much for 1 THOUSAND hits!! that's crazy, thank you guys so much, i can't believe that many people wanted to read my story :,)

Techno had been in the forest for a long time. He had begun to try and count the dark times and the light times. It had been about 10 darks and lights since he had woken up next to the frame, and no matter what he tried it still wouldn’t turn purple. He still couldn’t go home. He had tried clicking rocks together like the guard had. He put the tasty red things in the frame; maybe it would open its big purple mouth to eat them and he could run in and go home. He even tried to reach the broken part of the frame, to add rocks, but it was too high for his small arms to reach. He would wake up every time it got light in the opening of the tunnel, curled in a ball trying to be warm. It had always been warm at home. His arms and legs were scraped up from the plants and rocks and the large amount of tripping over tree roots and stones and bumps. Techno was only three, after all. The plants were running out of red things, and Techno was hungry and tired and covered in dirt. He had begun carefully venturing out from the tunnel in the light when the monsters weren’t out, trying to find other things to eat. There was nothing around though, and he would turn back for the tunnel empty-handed, unless he found a plant with the red things. Eating other plants made him feel sick. As the days dragged on, Techno had begun to settle into the tunnel. He had taken one of his rocks and scratched his name into the cave wall as best he could, letters big and uneven. He had begun working on another drawing of a strider, trying to remember what his mother had said. He missed his mother. He wanted to go home and see her and be warm and dry and fed. At home there were no monsters and it was always nice and warm.   
One morning, Techno awoke, blinking the sleep from his eyes and reaching out instinctively for his mother before remembering where he was and curling back up in the dim light of the cave. He reached up and swiped his sleeve across his snout, which was red and sore. The cold made his nose run, and he’d started coughing a day or two ago. Slowly, Techno pushed himself up, sitting back against the wall and pulling his legs in to rest his chin on his knees. He didn’t want to go outside in the cold and look for red things. Exploring wasn’t fun anymore, he was cold and sore and tired. He scooted to sit at the mouth of the tunnel, peering out for any monsters. Sometimes they would lurk under the trees and not go away, but the coast was clear for now. Techno shivered as a breeze whistled past, his ears sore and red with cold. The breeze died down, but a strange sound echoed through the silent trees. A voice. Whistling a simple melody, like his mother had used to do when he was sleepy at home. She would hold him and hum softly, and he would fall asleep. Techno’s ears pricked at the whistled tune, high and clear. Was it his mother? Was it someone who could help him? Another Piglin, who could make the frame turn purple? Techno leapt up, swaying as the blood rushed to his stiff arms and legs, and trotted towards the noise, stumbling in his haste. As he followed the sound through the trees, the whistle turned into a voice, a clear, laughing male voice, though not deep or rough like the Brutes back home. To Techno’s great surprise, another voice chimed in, a little voice, high pitched, singing and giggling. The voices were coming closer, and Techno ducked behind a tree, suddenly timid. What if they were mean like the guards? What if they didn’t like him? Techno sank down behind the tree, suddenly disheartened. He heard the voices continue to get closer, the sound of their steps strange: they weren’t hooves. Piglins without hooves? That’s not allowed, all Piglins have hooves. Techno himself had hooves, and he looked down at them then, small and caked with dirt. Suddenly, he froze: the footsteps had stopped, and the big voice came then:  
“What is it, Wil?” There was a shuffling sound.  
“Phil… piggy?” The little voice chimed. Techno glanced around. Piglin? Where? Why would a Piglin call another by species? The big voice came again.  
“I don’t know, Wilbur. Go take a look, but don’t touch it, alright?”  
“Okay!” There was a pattering sound. Little footsteps, running towards him! Techno froze in fear as a child leapt around the tree and stopped in surprise in front of him. Not a Piglin? No way it was a Piglin. The child looked just as surprised to see Techno as Techno was to see him. A moment of silence, and then the kid bounced forwards with a smile.  
“Hi! Are you a pig? Are you a person? I’m Wilbur, what’s your name? Are you lost? Can you talk? A talking pig, that would be so cool.” The ball of noise in front of Techno had curly brown stuff on its head, small round ears, big brown eyes and a yellow shirt. “Can I touch your ears? Are they real? Why do you look like a pig? I like your ears. I bet you can hear really good.” The kid was smiling and bouncing up and down in place, and Techno looked up at him, dumbstruck.  
“I’m… I’m Technoblade. ‘M not a pig, I’m a Piglin. I’ve never seen a piglin like you.” Techno was terrified. The kid, Will-bur, what an odd name, smiled even wider. Techno noticed in the back of his mind that Wilbur didn’t have tusks either.  
“You can talk! That’s so cool, I’ve never seen a talking pig before. Teh… Teck-no-blade.” Wilbur sounded it out, and Techno nodded.  
“I’m not a pig! PigLIN, I’m a Piglin.” Wilbur looked at him.  
“What’s a pig-lin? I’ve never seen someone like you before. Maybe Phil has! Phil! PHIIIIIL!” The last word, shouted, rang through the trees, and the big voice called back as someone bigger than Wilbur came through the forest.  
“WIL! Wil, are you alright, what’s happened?” The voice, and the not-Piglin it belonged to, came into view: a man, not as big as a Piglin but still a lot bigger than Techno, wearing a set of green robes and a striped hat, carrying a big backpack with a sword strapped to his side. The man had his hand on the handle of the sword and his face was tense, looking for whatever had made Wilbur shout. The man’s face relaxed as he saw Wilbur, safe in one piece, but his eyes widened as they landed on Techno, who had jumped to his hooves at the approaching footsteps.  
“Phil!! Phil I made a friend, he’s a pig-thing and his name is Teck-no-blade and he can talk and he has cool ears!” Wilbur bounced happily over to Phil and grabbed his hand and dragged him over to where Techno was standing, ready to run and shaking in fear. Phil looked at him and then quickly took his hand off his sword and knelt down a few feet away.   
“Wil,” the man said evenly, “Can you go look for some berries and I can meet your friend while you’re off? There’s bushes just over there.” The boy nodded and skipped off to the other side of the clearing, yellow shirt visible amongst the greenery. Techno shrank away from the big man. “Hello there,” the man said softly, “I won’t hurt you.” Phil’s eyes skimmed over the small boy in front of him, noting days of scratches and muck and runny nose, bony wrists and dirt-caked hooves. “Are you hungry, then? I’ve got food, if you want.” Techno shifted at that, eyeing the man as he opened his pack and took out some bread and apples, offering them with an outstretched hand. Techno reached out cautiously and took the bread, giving it a once-over and a sniff with his sensitive nose before inhaling it and almost choking. The man watched, slightly surprised, as the tiny boy devoured three apples and another piece of bread before coming up for air. He chuckled at the crumbs round the boy’s mouth and reached out to carefully wipe them away. “You must’ve been hungry, ey?” Techno nodded.   
“Re… Red things aren’t a lot.” Phil tilted his head. Red things?  
“How long have you been here, kiddo?”  
“Ten… ten darks an’ lights I think. I’m not s’posed to be here but the guards took me an’ my mama an’ then they put me in the purple an’ then I woke up but the frame here was broken and the purple wouldn’t come back an’ I want to go home but I don’t know how.” The words rushed out of Techno and suddenly tears were running down his face and he snuffled, swiping at his nose until Phil reached out with a handkerchief and wiped his face, putting a comforting hand on Techno’s small shoulder as he mulled over the boy’s jumbled story. Purple frame… Piglin... Darks and lights, not nights and days…  
“Are you from The Nether, Technoblade?” Techno’s gaze snapped up and he nodded rapidly, ears flapping. Phil nodded to himself. That made sense, Technoblade not knowing the berries, the words for night and day. Phil had been to the Nether before, but ever since he’d gotten Wilbur he’d stopped going, staying in the Overworld where it was safer for the boy.  
“How did you end up in the Overworld then, ey? It’s hard to get from here to there. You’d need a portal.”  
“They put me in a purple square an’ I woke up here. My mama is there. The guards sent me here. The king said I had to come here. My mama said I’m… I’m…” Techno tried to remember the words his mother had whispered in the chamber. “I’m… half ‘ooh-mun’.” Phil paused at the mumbled words. Half human? That must have been why. Piglins went with Piglins, it was just how they were. A Piglin-human union was unheard of. It was also standing in front of Phil, looking up at him with big, watery, shiny dark eyes. They must have cast the poor kid out for being a halfling. The Piglins, especially factions ruled by Brutes, were cruel even to their own kin. So they’d tossed the poor kid through a random portal without a care. Phil rubbed a hand across his chin, and watched as Techno timidly reached out a small hand and touched the short blond beard on Phil’s face.  
“Fur?” Techno wondered. Phil smiled.  
“No, it’s a beard. Hair, like on my head.” He lifted the hat to reveal his hair, and Techno was entranced.   
“Your hair is GOLD! It’s shiny! I like it.” Techno decided to trust Phil. After all, he had food, and gold hair. He grew gold out of his head! Phil laughed at the mindblown expression on the boy’s face and bent forwards from where he was sat, allowing the little Piglin to touch his hair.   
Phil was getting his hat back on when Wilbur emerged from the berry bushes, face and mouth stained red from the berries and whimpering about a splinter in his finger. Phil scooped the boy into his lap and cooed to him as he examined the injury, Techno watching from a few feet away, gnawing at the remains of his apple. “You’re alright, Wil,” Phil said, chucking the boy under the chin, “Look the other way for a moment and I’ll make it better, alright?” Wilbur nodded, and Techno watched as Wilbur screwed his eyes shut, turned his face away, and stuck out his hand to Phil. “Three, two one, and there we go, it’s out!” By the time Wilbur had turned back around, the splinter was gone, and Phil was wrapping the boy’s finger in a blue band-aid. “Not so bad, eh?” Wilbur smiled and smushed his cheek against Phil’s face affectionately.  
“Thank you Phiiiill!” Phil smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair, and looked over to where Techno was sitting. The poor kid looked like he was about to pass out from exhaustion. Phil made his decision.  
“Techno, bud, it’s going to be dark soon. I don’t want you to be out here alone again… Do you want to come with me and Wil?” Techno perked up at that, ears flicking back and forth.  
“Can I?” Techno had decided he liked Phil and Wilbur. They had food and Phil had gold hair and Wilbur liked his ears. Wilbur bounced up and down excitedly, and Phil nodded with a smile.  
“Of course, kiddo. The more the merrier.” Techno nodded rapidly and, after a moment’s hesitation, threw his arms around Phil, snuffling into his chest. Phil wrapped an arm around him with a chuckle, and Wilbur wormed in under Phil’s other arm with a giggle. After a moment, Phil released them both and stood, shouldering his pack once again and offering a hand to each boy. Techno wrapped a small hand around two of the man’s fingers and the trio headed off through the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally, we move forward with the story!! thank you for reading so far!! :D


	5. The Inn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1500 HITS!!! that's crazy, thank you all so much :,) this is another fluffy chapter because why not? we love comfort here

The little group reached the edge of town just as night fell. It occurred to Phil as they headed down the worn path that Techno might not want to be gawked at after such a long day, and indeed as they drew closer he could feel the boy’s grip on his hand tighten. He looked down to see Techno’s big brown eyes widen with fear again. Phil thought for a moment and then dropped his striped hat onto Techno’s head, concealing his ears and snout under the wide brim. It wasn’t the best, but it was dark and no one would question a little kid wearing his dad’s hat.  
His dad? That made Phil pause in his thoughts. Wilbur was a son to him, not biologically, but he’d found the boy when he was only a baby, left outside his base one warm night wrapped in a yellow blanket. Phil had nearly stepped on him when he went out to see who had disturbed the tripwire alarm, shocked to find a sleeping Wil on his doorstep. After frantically bringing the poor kid inside he had done a quick loop around his base, but there was no one to be found. He had headed back inside to find the baby squalling on the bed where he’d left him, face red as a beet and crying his eyes out. Phil had never dealt with a baby before, sure he’d held them for a few minutes, but had always handed them back if they got fussy. Now, he was on his own. As gently as he could, Phil had lifted the baby up, slowly turning him around. He seemed okay, he was warm and dry and had no injuries. Maybe he was just upset at being moved around. So Phil had awkwardly wrapped the baby in a clean blanket and rocked him in his arms until Wil had cried himself to sleep, and Phil had gently laid the baby down on his bed and then tiredly flopped down next to him, hoping he would sleep till morning, and he had. From there, Phil had taken Wilbur in as his own: watched as he learned to walk and babbled out his first words, and the first time he had looked up at Phil and gone “Phil! Phil-a!”. Phil had swept him up in a hug and Wil had giggled like mad, “Phil-a! Phil-a!” trying to say Philza. Wil was five now, and Phil had no idea where the time had gone.  
Phil was dragged out of his thoughts by a quiet sniffling sound at his side as they entered the village, and he looked down to see Techno looking up at him from under the hat, eyes full of fear and a big wobbly tear tracing down his cheek. Phil paused and let Wilbur go, who watched curiously as Phil scooped Techno up into his arms.  
“Techno, bud, what’s wrong?” The toddler smushed his face into Phil’s shoulder and shook his head with a whine. Phil felt a tear soak into his shirt. “It’s alright, mate,” Phil cooed to the toddler, “are you tired, buddy? We’re gonna be there in just a minute.” Phil glanced to Wilbur, who was yawning. “It’s alright, Techno, it’s okay, I’ve got you.” Phil gently rubbed the toddler’s back as he hiccuped and Phil felt another tear stain his shoulder as they headed to the inn, Wilbur holding onto Phil’s robe as they went. Phil gave an apologetic smile to the villager at the inn as Techno let out another whimper, placing some emeralds on the counter with one hand and balancing the sleepy kid with his other before herding his boys up the staircase to their room. The inn was small and cozy, wooden walls and warm lantern lights hanging from the ceiling beams as they climbed the stairs. The windows were thick, wavy glass panes, and there was noise-dulling carpeting covering the floor.   
Phil bumped the door to their room shut with his pack and placed Techno on the edge of the bed, reminding Wilbur to take off his boots by the door so as not to track dirt around, before gently lifting the hat off Techno to hang it on the hooks by the door and turning with his handkerchief to wipe the tears off Techno’s face. Phil looked down at the dirt that had come off on the handkerchief as well and then smiled and rubbed Techno’s head gently, hand between his pink ears. The toddler leaned into the affection, and Phil scooped him up again.   
“You, “ Phil announced, “need a bath before bed! Wil, you get your pajamas on while I get Techno cleaned up, alright?” Wilbur nodded sleepily and shuffled over to the big backpack, rummaging and pulling out his pajamas. Phil carried Techno into the bathroom attached to their room and set him down on the bath mat as he ran a tub of warm water. Techno looked at the water warily, ears pricking up as he stood next to the tub. “Ah, you’ve probably not seen this much water before, ey? It’s alright mate, water is good.” Techno reached a small hand out to touch it, and was fascinated. The water was warm, and rippled as he broke the surface. “You wanna get in? I’ll lift you.” Techno nodded, and Phil carefully lowered the boy into the tub, Techno’s hooves thunking against the bottom. Phil gently poured water over his head, and Techno blinked as it ran down his face. This was nice. The water was warm, and the soap smelled good, and the washcloth Phil was going over his back with was soft. Phil gave Techno the washcloth to play with while he scrubbed the toddler’s grubby clothes in the sink. After that, Phil finished up Techno’s bath, making sure he cleaned his ears and didn’t miss anything, before bundling the boy into one of the inn’s bath towels and grabbing an extra set of Wilbur’s pajamas and a sweater for Techno to wear while his clothes dried. After everyone was ready, Phil tucked the boys into bed. Wilbur looked up at Phil with sleepy brown eyes and mumbled something.  
“What was that, Wil?”  
“Sing… sing a song.” Techno was already out like a light, and Phil smiled at his older son.  
“ ‘Course, Wil. I’ll sing you a bedtime song.” Wilbur gave him a sleepy smile and laid back, snuggling under the blankets as Phil softly sang him a lullaby. Phil watched as slowly, Wil’s eyes closed and his breathing evened out. He finished the end of the song and moved quietly to his own bed, leaning back against the pillow to mull over the day. Technoblade. The last thing Phil had expected was to find another kiddo that needed help, but Phil was already feeling rather fond of the boy. And Wilbur was so excited when Phil decided to bring Techno along. It seemed settled, and Phil looked over to where the boys were sleeping, smiling as Techno snuffled in his sleep. Phil closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! so, i was originally going to try to keep up with the frequent uploads but I have a lot of stuff going on irl, so i'm going to aim for once a week going forward!! I promise this fic will not die incomplete, all the love on this so far makes me very determined to see it through!! see you soon :)


	6. Babyface

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!!! I am so sorry I disappeared right after I said I wouldn't!! I've been swamped with school and I had to get surgery this past week and so the updates stopped!! I will try to get back on time!! THANK YOU for all the hits and kudos!!!!

The next morning Phil was very warm when he woke up. He quickly realized it was because there was a sleeping little boy curled up on either side of him, like a pair of very cuddly space heaters. Phil glanced down as Wilbur shifted and slowly blinked awake, hair a fluffy brown mess as he registered Phil and then smiled sleepily, pushing his hair out of his face with fumbling hands. Phil chuckled.  
"How did you lot get here?" Wilbur grinned.  
"Techno was all wiggly and cuddly and he was keepin' me awake and he wanted a hug so I put him here and then I wanted a hug too." Phil smiled and looked down to where Techno was curled at his side, but something was… different. It took Phil a moment to recognize the kid, but then he rolled over, and Phil gasped in spite of himself. No longer a piglet, with big ears and snuffling snout, Techno had shape-shifted in his sleep into an almost-human little boy. Wilbur looked over at him, mouth open in surprise, and then quickly looked at Phil. Phil looked back at Wilbur and shrugged, just as surprised. So, that’s where the half-human was. It was at that moment Techno woke up, lifting a small hand to rub his eyes. Techno looked up, and he startled when he saw Phil and Wilbur before remembering the day before.  
“Wha… what?” the toddler mumbled. Phil regained his composure and reached out to ruffle a head of hair that hadn’t been there the day before. Human Techno had curly, light reddish hair, big brown eyes, a normal, non-pig nose, and small but pointed ears. Techno reached up to rub his eyes again, yawning widely.  
“Morning, bud. You sleep well?” The toddler nodded, and Wilbur leaned forward across the bed, staring intently into Techno’s face. Techno leaned away, confused.  
“Techno! Techno what happened to your face?!” Wilbur said, poking Techno’s flushed cheek. Phil tsked and Wilbur pulled back, apologetic. Techno patted his own face in confusion before carefully climbing down from the bed and wandering into the bathroom. Phil went after him, and found him trying to pull himself onto the counter to see in the mirror. Phil scooped Techno up so he could see his reflection. Techno squinted at himself in the reflection and nodded.  
“Me. Da’s my… Dat’s my face.” Phil looked down at him, and Techno looked up at Phil, frowning. “What’s wrong with it?” He asked, still confused.  
“Oh, nothing’s wrong with you buddy! It’s alright! Wil was just confused because when we went to bed, you looked more Piglin, and then when we woke up you looked like this. Has this happened before?” Techno nodded, understanding the surprise now.  
“Yeah. My mama said it was okay. Sometimes… sometimes I do it, but sometimes it does it alone. The guards didn’t know. Mama told me not to tell ‘em.” Phil nodded.  
“Well, that’s okay mate. You can look either way, Wil and I don’t mind.” Techno looked up and Phil and gave him a big smile, the first one he’d done since they’d met, and it was one of the cutest things Phil had ever seen: his nose scrunched up, and Phil could see all his teeth, including his bottom canines, which were a touch longer than the rest, in Piglin fashion. Phil gave him a hug and placed him back on the ground, where he scurried off to go play with Wilbur on the big bed. Phil leaned against the door, watching his boys bounce on the bed and wrestle with a fond smile.   
After wrangling everyone into clean clothes, Techno into his now-clean clothes but wearing one of Wil’s old sweaters over top, Phil decided they would spend a few days in the village. He needed to pick up more supplies, and he needed to get some stuff for Techno. The boy didn’t have boots, since he’d had hooves earlier, and he also picked up some clothes, since he had given away most of Wil’s small hand-me-downs to other people as they had travelled. He also went to a librarian, and picked up some books about the Nether, and the Piglin histories, and a couple for the boys to read. Phil had seen Techno’s name, scratched into the wall of the cave he had been hiding in, as they went past it to the village, so he knew the boy could read a little. Wil was a voracious reader, so he could help Techno if he needed it. They spent that afternoon in the meadow outside the village, Phil sat under a tree reading as the boys ran around in the sunshine, shouting and laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another short, fluff chapter, but the next one is a bit longer!! i was really not planning this to be as fluffy as it's turning out, but like... they're literally tiny children in this so i can be fluffy until they grow up later on :)


End file.
